#team

NEWS & EVENTS

The Message They Carry

This blog was originally posted on darfurunited.com and written by Rudy Sanchez, Darfur United Assistant Coach. During our stay, one of my tasks was to conduct a short interview where one of the questions asked the refugees what they missed most about their home in Darfur. Little to my surprise, the answer always consisted of family, friends, culture, and other details that fit into one of those categories. To most of us–including myself–these things are a flight or two away,

A Goal Without a Net

This blog was originally posted on darfurunited.com and written by Mark Hodson. We’ve all come a long way in terms of distance traveled as players and as human beings. I still remember with vivid clarity the time we ran a football tryout, in the unlikely, apocalyptic setting of a refugee camp in Eastern Chad. If the truth be told, I had no idea what the ultimate goal for this team might be. To share the Darfur story was a part of it. To provide the opportunity for a small win

The Ultimate Gift

This blog was originally posted on darfurunited.com We arrived in Ostersund with six staff members. If you ask the players, we will only be returning with five. Coach Mark with DU players during training. Mohammad Adam and Sadaam had a hint of sincerity when they jokingly told me the team is going to do “whatever it takes” to keep Coach Mark in Sweden at the end of this week. If I was in their shoes, I would be saying the same thing! After a few days, there is a visible boost

Insights from DU Athletic Trainer

This blog was originally posted on darfurunited.com by Alex Nuttall-Smith. During the training camp here in Ostersund, Sweden, as in many football training camps around the world, one objective is to provide the highest standard of medical care. Each player comes to see me–between on-field, snowy training sessions and team meals–in “the hospital” (as players call my room) for a medical screening physical. This screening includes an in-depth medical history, musculoskeletal ex

Darfur United Joy

This blog was originally posted on darfurunited.com We walk off of the plane and a nice, sharp cold hits us. This is not southern California, and it’s definitely not eastern Chad. Östersund, Sweden might be an odd place for an all-refugee team from Darfur to meet up with its coaching and management team from the warm beaches just outside Los Angeles, but it also the perfect place. We make it through immigration, and the best smile ever is waiting for us. Darfur United (DU) mi

Become a Sustainer of Action

Join a group of people changing the world in the most effective and efficient way possible: Sustainers of Action. Sustainers of Action support both the immediate needs and the expansion of iACT’s innovative, community-based programs in central Africa. They make it possible for iACT to be flexible and responsive in difficult environments and to look outside the box for refugee-led solutions. As a Sustainer of Action, you’ll be contributing to our work with refugees and you’ll

Come With Us, Meet Our Friends

We left LAX on Saturday on our 23rd trip to refugee camps along the Chad-Sudan border. After a four hour layover in Paris, we landed in Gabon on Sunday night. Gabon?! It’s the third time I’ve been to Gabon, and none of those times was it part of the plan. Chad never makes it easy for you. I was prepared for the normal logistical obstacles that come along once you land in the capital, but this time we couldn’t even land because of a sand storm. Flying into Goz Beida, eastern C

iACT 23: Our Team Returns to eastern Chad

iACT trips to eastern Chad are not only an opportunity for us to advance our work and deepen our relationships with the Darfuri refugees, but it is also a time to connect Darfuri refugees with you. Refugees want to feel connected, and so we do our best to share their voices, stories, hopes, accomplishments and needs with you each day. Please follow along and connect at iACT 23. You can also leave a message for our Darfuri friends as a comment on this blog, and the team in Cha

We Believe in Each Other

Editor’s note: This was originally posted on darfurunited.com by Darfur United Coach Ambassador Margo Baker. Darfur United: One group, one unit, one team. Sometimes it’s more than just skill that makes someone a great player. Attitude, ability, and leadership are just a few of the things to be considered. And while many of the men at tryouts possessed one or two of these qualities, I feel that I have chosen the top players who embody all of these traits and more. The men sele

Community Organizing: Things I Try Not to Forget

There are probably dozens of blogs out there claiming to have the answers to community organizing. I don’t want to claim that I have any answers, but I would like to share with you a few things I’ve found useful over the years. 1. Learn to Facilitate My road of facilitation is a very personal one. Many people might not be able to guess that about 10 years ago a group of my peers told me I was a terrible group member. I didn’t listen. I spoke to soon, shutting other people do

CARL WILKENS FELLOWSHIP AND i-ACT JOIN FORCES

For Immediate Release CONTACT: Katie-Jay Scott Stauring, 310.738.0285, ktj@iact.ngo Download the pdf of the press release CARL WILKENS FELLOWSHIP AND i-ACT JOIN FORCES To continue a program that strives to build a permanent constituency to prevent and end genocide and mass atrocities LOS ANGELES, CA – June 18, 2013 – The Carl Wilkens Fellowship (CWF), once part of Genocide Intervention Network and United to End Genocide, has partnered with i-ACT, a Los Angeles based, interna

LOS ANGELES-BASED NGO DEPARTS FOR 16th VISIT TO DARFURI REFUGEE CAMPS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Katie-Jay Scott Stauring, ktj@iact.ngo, 310-738-0285 i-ACT to open preschool program for Darfuri children LOS ANGELES, CA – May 27, 2013 – Monday, i-ACT departed to Chad for their 16th expedition. The main purpose of this trip is to prepare for the opening of Little Ripples, a comprehensive early childhood education program, in Camp Goz Amer. The team includes Gabriel Stauring, the Director of i-ACT, Jennifer Tang, Project Coordinator for Littl

June 8th: a Magical Day

Exactly a year ago, I was in Iraq with an all-refugee team from Darfur making its first appearance in an international competition. The Viva World Cup was one of those beautiful and surreal experiences that I’ll never forget. Today, I was in refugee camp Goz Amer, at the official presentation of a beautiful preschool for the refugee community. Being there with the young refugee women that are the first generation of Little Ripples teachers is hard to describe. After more than

Little Ripples Teacher Training and Assessment

The i-ACT team continues their time in refugee camp Goz Amer with the new teachers and students of Little Ripples! Here are a few excerpts from recent blogs: Jennifer, i-ACT’s Little Ripples Coordinator, writes, In the afternoon I helped out with the assessment side of things. We asked a group of ~5 mothers to bring their Little Ripples aged children in for the interview team to practice going through the three-part questionnaire. I think so far this has been the best part of

Favorites

i-ACT’s Gabriel Stuaring, James Thacher and the Little Ripples team are in eastern Chad documenting the stories of Darfuri refugees and opening the first Little Ripples’ center. This trip, i-ACT #16, coincides with the 10th anniversary of the start of the genocide in Darfur and the more recent influx of 300,000 new refugees into the region. It was a day full of emotions and moments. I asked our team to pick their favorite photo of the day. I’m sure it was as difficult for oth

Starting My Day in Eastern Chad

i-ACT’s Gabriel Stuaring and James Thacher are in eastern Chad documenting the stories of Darfuri refugees. This trip, i-ACT #16, coincides with the 10th anniversary of the start of the genocide in Darfur and the more recent influx of 300,000 new refugees into the region. I’m not exactly sure when the day begins because the night kind of flows into it. I have a hard time falling asleep, but at some point I crash and sleep for a few hours. I wake up and almost instinctively op

A Mothers Day Message to the Mothers of Darfur

Over the last few weeks, tens of thousands of newly displaced refugees have arrived at the border between Darfur and Chad. Entire families have lived through unimaginable violence, the destruction of their homes, and a harrowing walk to relative safety. Please send a message of support and solidarity to the mothers of Darfur by recording a short, personal message (2 minutes or less), speaking directly to a mother. You can create a “video response” as a comment to our youtub

i-ACT Hosting Second Annual Gala Benefit Event: ONE STRONG KICK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sara-Christine Dallain, scd@iact.ngo, 805.637.6876 Tickets available for $35 donation at www.darfurunited.com LOS ANGELES, CA – April 23, 2013 – i-ACT, a Los Angeles-based grassroots organization, is hosting it’s second annual gala benefit event, ONE STRONG KICK, in support of Darfur United and its Soccer Academy, the first comprehensive sports program for Darfuri refugee girls and boys in the camps along the Chad-Sudan border. ONE STRONG KICK

It’s a New Year and We Have Goals

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] I’m big on creating goals, but I’ve never been big on creating New Year’s resolutions. I

DARFUR UNITED, i-ACT WIN PEACE AND SPORT ‘NGO OF THE YEAR’ AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sara-Christine Dallain, 805.637.6876, scd@iact.ngo LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 14, 2012 – Gabriel Stauring, Director of i-ACT, has recently returned from Sochi, Russia where he represented Darfur United at the Peace and Sport Forum. A forum hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco that brings together more than 700 influential decision-makers and high-profile opinion-leaders from world sport governance, politics, International Organizations, and

NEWS & EVENTS

GET TO KNOW US

CONNECT

GIVE

RESOURCES